We Want YOU

What I love about looking at all the artwork on Etsy (besides being able to look at something and right away recognize the artist - some have very distinctive styles) is that it makes me feel like I can do any of the things I see. It makes me feel good about myself, connect to my creative side, and absorb some cool styles, genres and techniques.


Not to mention that it helps me develop my personal sense of style. After wading through countless photographs or plushies or dishes, you start to really get a sense of what you like, and, if you were to go so far as to start to take something up as a hobby, what kind of style you would have. It's almost like trying on different masks; it's totally risk-free, and actually free. (And if you do buy something, then you have a cool piece of art on your hands) It's a win-win situation.


I think that since I started blogging, reading the blogs that I've put on my sidebar, and exploring Etsy, I have started to feel like an artsier person. Funny thing is, I haven't even changed my activities so much! Of course, I do spend a considerable amount of time thinking about art and personal expression, certainly much more than I had previously. And actually, I am starting to move towards realizing my ideas and putting my stuff out there. (key word being 'move towards' here)

Parts for a project I have imagined creating for years. And now, a small step to completion: I found and bought these parts! At a garage sale across the street no less! These things are big. They're about 10 inches or 25 centimeters long!


I had never before liked to participate in group events at something I considered myself above average ability or talent. I always felt awkward for knowing too much or too little, unfamiliar with the jargon, or bored by topics I thought everyone knew. But 'participating' online (even if I don't contribute much), in a non-threatening environment, and one that allows users of all levels of technical skill, is definitely something I would recommend to anyone with a hobby or interest. And that's you!

Eat, drink, and be merry....

Do you know why they call them blogs?

The word blog sounds like slog, as in, 'we slogged 4 days through the soggy marsh, our hearts as heavy as our deadweight boots, our spirits pulled by pneumoia greys'.

In Mars & Venus, Whyte Ave


The thing about writing a blog, though, is that it is something we see as voluntary; we tend not to see going to work and living life as voluntary, yet on certain days we have the same attitude. Perhaps it is the pull of an elusive reward, experience and enlightenment.


There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.
George Santayana

Self-doubt clouded my mind with a fog just as heavy as that in our city yesterday, turning me into a walking shell. I question everything I do. Just Monday I had decided to work on a project--this is the product of 5 minutes of work with tinfoil. I had thought, inspired by my post on build-up of consistent effort, to make some sort of art project. Yet I could not find the meaning of doing anything more on this project these past couple of days.

How to have the confidence to know what you are doing is right? I think you cannot ever know that you are on the course to make the world a better place. I think we must save that kind of self-inspection for times of retrospect. It is much safer to admit that something was a wate of time after you have done it, than to be dithering on the doorstep of action. (And who knows... it might bring great results!)

As George says, enjoying your time on earth will solve most of your life problems, for death will certainly put an end to them. Having that confidence that you are alive just to experience life is probably one of the greater struggles of the human race. Strange, though, that we cannot directly show this. Imagine watching two hours of 'I shall set out to enjoy life!'--not even Disney could pull it off. It's one of those intangible causes of noticeable symptoms in our lives.

And if you wanted more carpe diem, read an article on James Lovelock, an independent scientist whose scarily accurate, almost prophetic predictions have been ignored by the rest of the scientific world until recently.

Lovelock predicts that by 2020 extreme weather will be the norm, causing global devastation; that by 2040 much of Europe will be Saharan; and parts of London will be underwater.
"[Ethical consumption, carbon offsetting, recycling and so on] is a deluded fantasy. Most of the things we have been told to do might make us feel better, but they won’t make any difference. Global warming has passed the tipping point, and catastrophe is unstoppable"
What would Lovelock do now, I ask, if he were me? He smiles and says: "Enjoy life while you can. Because if you’re lucky it’s going to be 20 years before it hits the fan."

E rocking out... while she still can

James Lovelock article
(I could not find the original article on Guardian.co.uk) :
http://mindofgenius.com/interesting-topics/enjoy-life-while-you-can/